TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present invention relates to an optical disc and a remote control device.
BACKGROUND ART
[0002] In recent years, ID information is becoming more important. Experimentation on incorporating
integrated circuits including ID information has been attempted. Such kinds of applications
are expected to continue in the future (see, for example, Japanese Laid-Open Publication
No.
2002-83482). Conventionally, a method for physically searching a portable-type optical disc
which includes an IC including ID information has not been proposed.
[0003] Portable-type optical discs are dispersed after recording of the contents due to
their portability. Thus, there is a demand for a method of searching for contents
which have been recorded in the portable optical discs. The objective of the present
invention is to provide an optical disc and a remote control device which enable searching
for contents recorded on an optical disc by mounting an IC including ID information
on an optical disc.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
[0004] According to the present invention, a transmitting antenna and a receiving antenna
are provided in an inner peripheral portion of an optical disc, and a transmission/reception
IC which stores ID information of the optical disc is connected to the antennas.
[0005] With such an optical disc, a system which can search for ID information of an optical
disc from a recording/reproduction apparatus over radio waves can be provided.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0006]
Figure 1 is a top view of an optical disc according to one embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 2(a) is a top view of an optical disc according to one embodiment of the present invention,
and Figure 2(b) is a top view of a tip portion of an optical disc according to one embodiment of
the present invention.
Figure 3(a) is an electrolytic profile showing a directivityofanantennaA, and Figure 3(b) is an electrolytic profile showing a directivity of an antenna B, and Figure 3(c)
is an electrolytic profile showing a directionality of the antenna A plus the antenna
B.
Figure 4(a) is a top view of an optical disc according to one embodiment of the present invention,
and Figure 4(b) is a top view of a tip portion of an optical disc according to one embodiment of
the present invention.
Figure 5 is a diagram showing an appearance of an optical disc according to one embodiment
of the present invention.
Figure 6 is a block diagram showing structures of an optical disc, a remote control, and a
recording/reproduction apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 7 is a timing diagram showing a reception signal and a detection signal according to
one embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 8 is a waveform profile of a reception signal and a detection signal according to one
embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 9 is a diagram showing a data structure of a disc information file according to one
embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 10 is a diagram showing a data structure of a disc information file according to one
embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 11 is a flow chart showing a procedure according to one embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 12 is a flow chart showing a procedure according to one embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 13 is a diagram showing an operation of an optical disc and a remote control according
to one embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 14 is a diagram showing an operation flow of an optical disc and a remote control according
to one embodiment of the present invention.
Figures 15(a)-(c) show an operation of a tray of a recording/reproduction apparatus according to one
embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 16 is a top view of an optical disc according to one embodiment of the present invention.
Figures 17(a)-(d) are diagrams showing an attachment operation of a disc according to one embodiment
of the present invention.
Figure 18 is a flow chart showing a process procedure according to one embodiment of the present
invention.
Figure 19 is a flow chart showing a process procedure according to one embodiment of the present
invention.
Figure 20 is a flow chart showing a process procedure according to one embodiment of the present
invention.
Figure 21 is a block diagram showing a structure of a recording/reproduction apparatus according
to one embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 22 is a flow chart showing a procedure according to one embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 23 is a flow chart showing a procedure according to one embodiment of the present invention.
Figures 24(a)-(c) are diagrams showing a method for detecting ID information according to one embodiment
of the present invention.
Figure 25 is a top view of an optical disc according to one embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 26 is a flow chart showing a procedure according to one embodiment of the present invention.
Figures 27(a)-(c) are cross-sectional views illustrating a step of forming a substrate with an embedding
hole according to one embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 28 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a step of forming a substrate with an embedding
hole according to one embodiment of the present invention.
Figures 29(a)-(e) are diagrams showing a positional relationship between an IC module and an information
layer in a substrate according to one embodiment of the present invention.
Figures 30(a)-(e) are diagrams showing a step of forming an angle identification mark according to
one embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 31(a) is a top view of an antenna portion of an optical disc according to one
embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 31(b) is a cross-sectional view of an antenna portion of an optical disc according to one
embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 32 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an IC module of an antenna portion of an optical
disc according to one embodiment of the present invention.
Figures 33(a) and (b) are cross-sectional views illustrating a step of bonding an antenna portion of an
optical disc according to one embodiment of the present invention.
Figures 34(a) and (b) are cross-sectional views illustrating a step forming an inner peripheral portion
of an optical disc according to one embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 35 is a diagram illustrating a step of producing an IC module according to one embodiment
of the present invention.
Figures 36(a)-(f) are diagrams illustrating a step of producing an IC module according to one embodiment
of the present invention.
Figure 37 is a diagram showing an efficiency of an antenna according to one embodiment of the
present invention.
Figure 38(a) is a diagram showing a directly-formed antenna; Figure 38(b) is a diagram illustrating a step of directly bonding an IC according to one embodiment
of the present invention; and Figure 38(c) is a diagram illustrating a step of mounting an IC using a sub-substrate according
to one embodiment of the present invention.
Figures 39(a)-(d) are diagrams illustrating a step of mounting a single-wound antenna and an IC.
Figures 40(a)-(e) are diagrams illustrating a step of mounting a multiple-wound antenna and an IC.
Figure 41 is a diagram showing a structure of an information layer according to one embodiment
of the present invention.
Figure 42 is a diagram illustrating a step of forming antenna wiring, capacitor during a film
formation step for an information layer according to one embodiment of the present
invention.
Figures 43(a)-(c) are diagrams illustrating a step of forming an IC, an antenna, and a capacitor according
to one embodiment of the present invention.
Figures 44(a)-(c) are diagrams showing a resonance circuit according to some embodiments of the present
invention.
Figure 45(a) is a diagram showing a shape of a mask according to one embodiment of the present
invention, and Figure 45(b) is a diagram showing a step of forming four films at the same time according to one
embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 46(a) is a diagram showing a step of producing an IC block according to one embodiment
of the present invention; Figure 46(b) is a diagram showing a step of producing a disc according to one embodiment of the
present invention; and Figure 46(c) is a diagram showing an equivalent resonance circuit according to one embodiment
of the present invention.
Figure 47(a) is a diagram showing a shape of a mask according to one embodiment of the present
invention, and Figure 47(b) is a top view of an antenna and a reflective film which have been formed according
to one embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 48(a) is a diagram showing a shape of a mask according to one embodiment of the present
invention, and Figure 48(b) is a top view of an antenna and a reflective film which have been formed according
to one embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 49(a) is a view of a back surface of an antenna according to one embodiment of the present
invention; Figure 49(b) is a top view of an antenna according to one embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 49(c) is a view of a back surface of an antenna according to one embodiment of the present
invention; Figure 49(d) is a cross-sectional view of an antenna according to one embodiment of the present
invention; and Figure 49(e) is an enlarged cross-sectional view according to one embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 50(a) is a top view of a remote control according to one embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 50(b) is a side view of a remote control according to one embodiment of the present invention;
and Figure 50(c) is a view of a back surface of a remote control according to one embodiment of the
present invention.
Figure 51 is a diagram showing a communication flow of a remote control and a reproducing apparatus
according to one embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 52 is a diagram showing a communication flow of a remote control and a recording/reproduction
apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention.
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
[0007] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference
to the drawings.
(Structure of optical disc)
[0008] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention when applied to a recording medium
having a disc shape will be described.
[0009] Figure
1 is a diagram showing an example of a structure of an optical disc
1 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0010] In an inner peripheral portion of the optical disc
1, a transmitting antenna
2 and a receiving antenna
3 are provided. The transmitting antenna
2 and the receiving antenna
3 are formed along a circumferential direction of the optical disc
1. In this example, the transmitting antenna
2 and the receiving antenna
3 are both dipole antennas.
[0011] In the inner peripheral portion of the optical disc
1, a transmission/reception IC
4 connected to the transmitting antenna
2 and the receiving antenna
3 is further provided. The transmission/reception IC
4 receives radio waves via the receiving antenna
3 and transmits radio waves via the transmitting antenna
2. In this example, the transmission/reception IC
4 is formed on a chip. The chip is called an RFID chip.
[0012] In a central portion of the optical disc
1, a hole 5 which allows the optical disc
1 to be attached to a rotation member for rotating the optical disc
1 is provided.
[0013] In an outer peripheral portion of the optical disc
1, an information
layer 6 , on which information can be recorded or from which information can be reproduced,
is provided. The information layer
6 is formed between a substrate
7 and a transparent layer
8. An adhesive layer
9 is formed between the substrate
7 and the information layer
6.
[0014] Figure
2(a) is an enlarged view of a portion around the transmitting antenna
2 and the receiving antenna
3 shown in Figure
1.
[0015] The transmitting antenna
2 includes transmitting antenna portions
2a and
2b. The receiving antenna
3 includes receiving antenna portions
3a and
3b. The transmitting antenna portions
2a and
2b are arranged so as to have an orientation shifted by 90° from an orientation of the
receiving antenna portions
3a and
3b.
[0016] Figure
2(b) is a portion around the transmission/reception IC
4 shown in Figure
1.
[0017] The receiving antenna portions
3a and
3b are connected to the transmission/reception IC
4 via a relay substrate
11. The transmitting antenna portions
2a and
2b are connected to the transmission/reception IC
4 via wiring
10a and
10b and the relay substrate
11. The wiring
10a extends the transmitting antenna portion
2a. The wiring
10b extends the transmitting antenna portion
2b. The wiring
10a and
10b are parallel to each other.
[0018] As indicated by a cross-section along B-B' in Figure
2(a), a portion of the substrate
7 in which the relay substrate
11 is located is dug down by thickness d. The thickness d is designed such that the
transmission/reception IC
4 will not be in contact with a recording/reproduction apparatus when the optical disc
1 is attached to the recording/reproduction apparatus. Herein, the recording/reproduction
apparatus is an apparatus which performs at least one of a recording operation for
recording information on the optical disc 1 and a reproduction operation for reproducing
information recorded on the optical disc
1.
[0019] When the length of the transmitting antenna portions
2a and
2b (or the receiving antenna portions
3a and
3b) of a dipole antenna is Land the wavelength is λ, L=λ/4 andλ=300/f. Thus, for a frequency
of 2.4 GHz, λ=125 mm and L=31.3 mm. Accordingly, it is possible to provide the transmitting
antenna
2 and the receiving antenna
3 in an inner peripheral portion of a standard optical disc having a diameter of 120
mm.
[0020] With reference to Figure
3, a directivity of dipole antennas will be described.
[0021] Figure
3(a) shows a directivity of a dipole antenna A. It is shown that the antenna A is not
sensitive in a longitudinal direction of dipoles of the antenna A (i.e., y direction).
[0022] Figure
3(b) shows a directivity of a dipole antenna B shifted by 90° with respect to the dipole
antenna A. It is shown that the antenna B is not sensitive in a longitudinal direction
of dipoles of the antenna B (i.e., x direction).
[0023] Figure
3(c) shows a directivity of an antenna in the case in which the dipole antenna A and the
dipole antenna B are arranged in combination. The dipole antenna B is arranged so
as to be shifted by 90° with respect to the dipole antenna A. It is shown that an
antenna which is sensitive in all directions can be implemented by arranging the antennas
A and B such that a dead zone of the antenna A and a dead zone of the antenna B are
orthogonal to each other.
[0024] The transmitting antenna
2 (Figure
1) and the receiving antenna
3 (Figure
1) are arranged so that the dead zone of the transmitting antenna
2 and the dead zone of the receiving antenna 3 are orthogonal to each other. Thus,
as shown in Figure
3(c) an antenna which is sensitive in all directions can be implemented. As a result,
regardless of an orientation of the optical disc
1, ID information (RFID) stored in the transmission/reception IC
4 of the optical disc
1 can be detected.
[0025] Figure
4(a) shows another example of the structure of the optical disc
1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. In this example, a loop-type
antenna is used instead of a dipole antenna.
[0026] In an inner peripheral portion of the optical disc
1, a transmitting antenna
2 and a receiving antenna
3 are provided. The transmitting antenna
2 and the receiving antenna
3 are formed along a circumferential direction of the optical disc
1. In this example, the transmitting antenna
2 and the receiving antenna
3 are both loop antennas. The receiving antenna
3 is positioned such than it is closer to the outer periphery compared to the receiving
antenna
2.
[0027] In the inner peripheral portion of the optical disc
1, a transmission/reception IC
4 connected to the transmitting antenna
2 and the receiving antenna
3 is further provided (see Figure
4(b)). The transmission/reception IC
4 receives radio waves via the receiving antenna
3 and transmits radio waves via the transmitting antenna
2.
[0028] Figure
4(b) is an enlarged view of portion A shown in Figure
4(a). Terminals
2a and
2b of the transmitting antenna
2 and terminals
3a and
3b of the receiving antenna
3 are connected to the transmission/reception IC
4 via a relay substrate
11.
[0029] When the length of the circumference of the loop antenna is L and the wavelength
is λ, the antennas are set to be L=λ. Since λ=300/f, λ=125 mm. For a frequency f GHz,
based on an empirical rule, a film thickness of an antenna is 2/√f µm. Accordingly,
when f=2.45 GHz, a film thickness of an antenna may be 1.5 µm or more.
[0030] As described above, an antenna formed along a circumferential direction of an optical
disc 1 and an optical disc
1 including a transmission/reception IC
4 for transmitting/receiving radio waves via the antennas are within the scope of the
present invention. An antenna which is formed on the optical disc
1 is not limited to the above-mentioned two-types of antennas (i.e., dipole antenna
and loop antenna).
(Method for obtaining ID by remote control)
[0031] Figure
5 shows an appearance of the optical disc
1, a remote control
15, a recording/reproduction apparatus
35 and a display portion
100. Figure
6 shows an example of the structure of the optical disc
1, remote control
15 and recording/reproduction apparatus
35.
[0032] When aviewbutton
16 of the remote control is pressed, radio waves having a particular frequency (for
example, 2.45 GHz) radiate from a transmitting section
17 and a transmitting antenna
18 to the optical disc
1, as indicated by an arrow
19a. Such radio waves are received by the receiving antenna
3 of the optical disc
1 and detected by a detection section
21 of a receiving circuit
20. Thus, power
22 and a signal are obtained. The power
22 is sent to a signal generation section
23 and temporarily accumulated in a power accumulation section
24 such as a capacitor or the like. This feeble power is used to read out ID
25 in an ID number storage section
26. An ID number generation section
27 and a modulation section
28 generate a modulation signal including the ID number. The modulation signal is delayed
by a time period corresponding to a time constant
30 by a time adjusting section
29. The time constant
30 is preset when the transmission/reception ICs
4 is fabricated such that every transmission/reception ICs
4 has a different time constant
30.
[0033] The ID
25 is information for identifying the optical disc
1. The ID
25 is also called ID information. The ID
25 is not limited to a number (it may be a combination of alphanumeric characters, symbols
and the like). The signal generation section
23 generates a signal including ID information in response to a signal output from the
receiving circuit (receiving section)
20.
[0034] Figure
7 shows an example of waveforms of a reception signal received from the remote control
15, response signals from a plurality of optical discs
1 (#1-#4) responding to the reception signal, and a detection signal detected by the remote
control
15.
[0035] The optical discs
#1, #2, #3, and
#4 have different response times t
1, t
2, t
3 and t
4 to the reception signal from the remote control
15. This is because the time constants
30 in the transmission/reception ICs
4 mounted on the optical discs
#1 through
#4 are different from each other. Thus, waveforms of the response signals from the optical
discs
#1 through
#4 are different as shown in Figure
7.
[0036] The waveform of the detection signal detected by the remote control
15 is as shown in Figure
7. The response signals from the optical discs
#1 through
#4 are separated in a time-wise manner from each other. Thus, even when a plurality
of optical discs
1 are present within the scope that the radio waves from the remote control
15 can reach, the remote control 15 can separate signals transmitted from a plurality
of optical discs
1 in a time-wise manner and detect them. In this way, collision of the response signals
from a plurality of optical discs
1 can be prevented.
[0037] In the remote control
15, the response signals from a plurality of optical discs
1 are separated in a time-wise manner by time separation means
32 (Figure
6). Thus, IDs of the optical discs
1 can be identified stably.
[0038] Instead of presetting the time constants
30 such that every transmission/reception IC
4 has a different time constants
30, a random number generation section
34 for generating time constants at random may be provided to achieve similar effects.
[0039] Figure
8 shows another example of waveforms of a reception signal received from the remote
control
15, response signals from a plurality of the optical discs
1 (#1-#4) responding to the reception signal, and a detection signal detected by the remote
control
15.
[0040] The optical discs
#1, #2, #3, and
#4 have response signals having different amounts of shifts f
1, f
2, f
3 and f
4 in central frequencies from that of the reception signal from the remote control
15 (for example, an excitation signal having a particular central frequency). This is
because the frequencies set by frequency setting sections
31 in the transmission/reception ICs
4 mounted on the optical discs
#1 through
#4 are different from each other. Thus, waveforms of the response signals from the optical
discs
#1 through
#4 are different as shown in Figure
8.
[0041] The waveform of the detection signal detected by the remote control
15 is as shown in Figure
8. The response signals from the optical discs
#1 through
#4 are separated from each other with respect to the frequencies. Thus, even when a
plurality of optical discs
1 are present within the scope that the radio waves from the remote control
15 can reach, the remote control 15 can separate signals transmitted from a plurality
of optical discs
1 with respect to the frequencies and detect them. In this way, collision of the response
signals from a plurality of optical discs
1 can be prevented.
[0042] In the remote control
15, the response signals from a plurality of optical discs
1 are separated with respect to the frequencies by frequency separation means
33 (Figure
6). Thus, IDs of the optical discs
1 can be identified stably even within one time zone.
[0043] In the examples shown in Figures
7 and
8, the number of optical discs
1 which respond to the reception signal is not limited to four. N number of optical
discs
1 may respond to the reception signal. Herein, n is any integer of 1 or greater.
[0044] Further, in an example shown in Figure
6, the time adjusting section
29 and the frequency setting section
31 are both included in the signal generation section
23. This example is preferable because the response signals from a plurality of optical
discs
1 can be separated in a time-wise manner and also with respect to the frequencies.
However, the signal generation section
23 may include only one of the time adjusting section
29 and the frequency setting section
31. In this case, it is sufficient if only one of the time separation means
32 and the frequency separation means
33 is included in the receiving section of the remote control
15.
(Management of disc information by recording/reproduction apparatus)
[0045] Next, with reference to Figure
6, exchange of data between the remote control
15 and the recording/reproduction apparatus
35 will be described.
[0046] ID reproduction section
36 receives a reception signal including ID and generates ID information
37. The ID information
37 is output to a processing section
38. The processing section
38 displays the ID information
37 on a display portion
39 of the remote control
15 and transmits the ID information
37 to a receiving section
44 of a communication section
41 of the recording/reproduction apparatus 35 from a transmitting section
42 of a communication section
40. A method of communication between the communication section
40 and the communication section
41 may be an optical communication or may be a radio communication.
[0047] In the case where the communication between the communication section
40 and the communication section
41 is an optical communication, a light emitting portion for transmitting a remote control
signal which is normally equipped to the remote control
15 may also serve as the transmitting section
42 and a light receiving portion for receiving the remote control signal which is usually
equipped to the recording/reproduction apparatus
35 may also serve as the receiving section
44. In this case, it is not necessary to additionally provide a transmitting section
42 and a receiving section
44. Thus, a set of a transmitting/receiving unit (light receiving/emitting unit) can
be omitted.
[0048] In the case where the communication between the communication section
40 and the communication section
41 is a radio communication, bidirectional communication can be performed between the
communication section
40 and the communication section
41 by providing a transmitting antenna
46 and a receiving antenna
47 in the communication section
40, providing a transmitting antenna
49 and a receiving antenna
48 in the communication section
41, and using Bluetooth using radio waves of frequency 2.4 GHz or local area wireless
network such as IEEE 802.11b. In this case, a transmitting antenna
46 of the remote control
15 may also serve as the transmitting antenna
18 and a receiving antenna
47 may also serve as the receiving antenna
50. Thus, a set of transmitting/receiving antennas can be omitted.
[0049] The receiving section
44 of the communication section
41 outputs the received ID information
37 to the processing section
51. In the processing section
51, a search section
52 searches a disc information file
53 and obtains disc physical property information
54, disc logic information
55 or the like corresponding to the ID information
37.
[0050] Figure
9 shows an example of the data structure of the disc information file
53.
[0051] In the disc information file
53, a disc management number
57 is assigned to the ID information
37. ID information
37 is data equal to or greater than 100 bits (for example, data of 128 bits). By using
disc management number
57 (for example, "04"), i.e., a virtual ID having a data amount smaller than that of
the ID information
37, it becomes possible to manage IDs with smaller amount of data.
[0052] The disc information file
53 includes the disc physical property information
54 and the disc logic information
55 for each ID.
[0053] The disc physical property information
54 includes data indicating a total storage capacity
58 of the disc, a remaining capacity
59 of the disc, disc type
60 (such as rewritable type, write-once type, or ROM), the number of layers
61 of the disc (single layer or double layer) and the like.
[0054] The disc logic information
55 includes information regarding a program recorded on the disc (program information
70). The program information
70 includes property data of the program, information regarding contents, thumbnails
of the contents and the like.
[0055] Figure
10 shows program information
70a and
70b as examples of the program information
70 in the disc logic information
55.
[0056] The program information
70a indicates program information of program 1. The program information
70a includes a program ID
71, property data
72, and contents data
86.
[0057] The property data
72 includes a start address
73, an end address
74, total recording time
75, an ID of the program coming after the current program (program ID of link destination)
76, time to start and finish recording (recording time)
77, a recording source or a TV channel number
78, a program title
79, property information of the contents of the program
80 (a category of the program
81, a name of the characters appearing in the program
82, an area
83, program contents
84 and the like). Furthermore, in the case of a program linked to a web site, the property
data
72 further includes an address of a web site of a link destination (URL)
85.
[0058] The contents data
86 includes a still picture
87 (for example, a still picture in JPEG format or the like of the first scene of program
1) and motion picture data
88 for first few seconds (a low-resolution motion picture
89 in MPEG 4 format or the like and a representative screen (thumbnail) of a high-resolution
motion picture
90 at a high rate in MPEG 2 format or the like. The contents data
86 may include thumbnail data
91 which is a collection of the thumbnails.
[0059] With reference to flow charts of Figures
11 and
12, a method for obtaining ID and displaying property information and thumbnails of the
contents of the corresponding disc by using the ID will be described.
[0060] In step
95a, the recording/reproduction apparatus
35 waits to obtain the ID information that is to be sent from the remote control
15. In step
95b, the recording/reproduction apparatus
35 obtains new ID information which is different from the current ID information it
has. Then, in step
95c, the processing section
51 defines the new ID information as the n-th ID information (i.e., ID(n)). In step
95d, the processing section
51 searches the disc information file
53 (Figures
9 and
10) using the search section
52. In step
95e, the processing section
51 determines whether there is data regarding ID(n) in the disc information file
53. If it is determined "Yes" in step
95e (i.e., if there is data regarding ID(n) in the disc information file
53), in step
95f , the processing section
51 determines whether the remote control
15 has the capability to display the image, or there is an image display request from
the remote control
15. If it is determined "Yes" in step
95f, m=0 in step
95g and m is incremented by 1 in step
95h. In step
95j, the processing section
51 reads out image data (motion picture data
89 and
90, still picture data
87, or thumbnail data
91 (Figure
10)) of m-th program information
72 (program m) corresponding ID(n) from the disc information file
53 by using the search section
52. In step
95k, the processing section
51 transmits image data to the remote control
15 via the communication channel (a transmitting section
45 and the transmitting antenna
49). In step
95m, the receiving section
43 of the remote control
15 receives the image data. In step
95n, the processing section
38 extends the received image data using an image decoder
100 and displays the extended image data in the display portion
39 (Figure
13(d)). In this way, motion picture or still picture of thumbnails of data of contents recorded
in the optical disc
1 can be confirmed by only bringing the remote control
15 close to the optical disc
1, without attaching the optical disc
1 to the recording/reproduction apparatus
35. In step
95p, the processing section
38 determines whether the display of the image data is completed or not and continues
displaying the image data until the display of the image data is completed. Even after
the display of the image data is completed, in step
95q, the processing section
38 continues displaying the image data until a next new image display request arrives,
or until a certain amount of time has elapsed. The next new image display request
may be issued by, for example, a user pressing a next screen button
101 of the remote control
15 (Figure
5). If there is a next new image display request, it is determined "Yes" in step
95q, and the process proceeds to step
95y. In step
95y, it is determined whether m is the last or not. If m is not the last, the process
proceeds to step
95h. In step
95h, m is incremented by 1. In step
95j, the processing section
38 displays the next new image on the display portion
39.
[0061] For example, in the case where the motion picture of a thumbnail of the program is
displayed on the display portion
39 of the remote control
15, motion picture data is sent from the recording/reproduction apparatus
35 (server) to the remote control
15. The processing section
51 reads out motion picture data showing a thumbnail of program 1 (for example, motion
picture data for the first 5 seconds of program 1) from the disc information file
53 and sends it to the remote control
15. The motion picture data is, for example, low-resolution motion picture data
89 of MPEG 4 grade. The processing section
38 receives the motion picture data and displays it on the displaying portion
39 (Figure
13(d))
. When the user presses the next screen button
101 of the remote control
15, the processing section
51 reads out motion picture data showing a thumbnail of program 2 (for example, motion
picture data for the first 5 seconds of program 2) from the disc information file
53 and sends it to the remote control
15. The processing section
38 receives motion picture data and displays it on the displaying portion
39 (Figure
13(d)).
[0062] In step
95q, in the case where the next image display request is issued, or a previous screen
display request is issued by the user pressing a previous screen button
102 of the remote control
15, if m is the last in step
95y, the process returns to the first step
95a and the recording/reproduction apparatus
35 waits to obtain the next ID information. Thereafter, the same operation as described
above is performed.
[0063] In this embodiment, normal quality images and low resolution motion picture
89 are both recorded in the disc information file
53. However, only normal quality images may be recorded in the disc information file
53. In this case, when a normal quality image is output, by performing rate conversion
for a normal quality image (for example, MPEG2 image of 6 Mbps), the low-resolution
motion picture
89 (for example, MPEG 4 image of 384 kbps) may be obtained and the low-resolution motion
picture
89 may be sent to the remote control
15.
(Operation when an image is not displayed on remote control)
[0064] If it is determined "No" in step
95f (i.e., when an image is not displayed on the remote control
15)), the process proceeds to steps
96a through
96c shown in Figure
12. If it is determined "No" in step
96c, the process proceeds to step
96d. In step
96d, the processing section
51 reads out the property data
72 of m-th program information
72 (program m) corresponding to ID (n) using the search section
52, and, in step
96e, transmits it through a communication path and finally to the remote control
15. In step
96f, the receiving section
43 of the remote control
15 receives the property data. In step
96g, the processing section
38 displays the property data (for example, remaining capacity) or the program list
on the display portion
39. When the program list is displayed on the display portion
39, if the user presses a down key
104 of the remote control
15 (Figure
14), the program in a downward direction in the screen is selected.
[0065] For displaying the program list on the display portion
39 of the remote control
15, as shown in Figure
14, the user may (1) bring the remote control
15 close to the optical disc
1 and (2) press a view button
16 of the remote control
15. In response, the remote control
15 (3) reads out the ID of the optical disc
1 and (4) transmits the ID read by the remote control
15 to the recording/reproduction apparatus
35. The recording/reproduction apparatus
35 (5) searches the database to obtain the program list data and (6) sends the program
list data to the remote control
15. Thus, the program list is displayed on the display portion
39 of the remote control
15. When the user presses the down key
104 of the remote control
15, (7) the program in a downward direction is selected.
[0066] With reference to the flow chart of Figure
12, a procedure for displaying the program list will be explained.
[0067] In step
96h, the processing section
38 determines whether or not displaying the property data or the program list is completed
and continues displaying the property data or the program list until displaying the
property data or the program list is completed (Figure
14). In step
96i, the processing section
38 determines whether the program list is displayed on the display portion
39. If it is determined "Yes" in step
96i, in step
96k, the processing section
38 determines whether any of the scroll buttons
101 through
104 (Figure
14) is pressed or not. If it is determined "Yes" in step
96k, in step
96m, the processing section
38 changes a program mark in the program list. Next, if a selection button
105 or an image button
106 (Figure
14) is pressed, in step
96p, the processing section
38 determines whether it is possible to display the image. If it is determined "Yes"
in step
96p, in step
96q, the processing section
38 displays a thumbnail image, motion picture, or still picture of the selected program
on the display portion
39. In step
96r, the processing section
38 determines whether or not the program list is completed. If it is determined "Yes"
in step
96r, the process proceeds to step
96j. If it is determined "No" in step
96p (i.e., if the image cannot be displayed), the process proceeds to step
96s. In step
96s, the processing section
38 displays the detailed property data of the marked program on the display portion
39. The property data is read from the disc information file
53, sent to the remote control
15, and displayed on the display portion
39 of the remote control
15. As shown in Figure
10, the property data includes, for example, category
81, name
82, area
83 and contents
84 of the program, billing identifier
85a which indicates whether or not viewing the program requires payment, and link destination
address
85 which indicates an address or URL of a website for decoding and billing. In step
96f, the processing section
38 determines whether the program list is completed. If it is determined "Yes" in step
96f, the process proceeds to step
96j. In step
96j, the processing section
38 determines whether there is a request for displaying the next property data. If it
is determined "Yes" in step
96j, the process returns to step
96b, and the operation of incrementing m by 1, reading out the m-th property data from
the disc information file
53, and displaying the read out property data on the display portion
39 is repeated.
(Operation linked with other machines)
[0068] In step
95r, the processing section
51 determines whether or not it is possible to connect to other machines or servers.
If it is determined "No" in step
95r, the process proceeds to step
95u. In step
95u, the processing section
51 sends a message of "No data" or information indicating the message to the remote
control
15 via the communication channel and displays the message or the information indicating
the message on the display portion
39. If it is determined "Yes" in step
95r, in step
95s, the processing section
51 connects to another submachine
35a via the communication section
41, a communication channel
283 and a communication section
41a. The communication channel
283 may be wired or wireless, or may be the internet
284 as shown in Figure
6. In step
95s, a processing section
51a of the submachine
35a searches a disc information file
53. In step
95t, the processing section
51a determines whether the disc information file includes the data corresponding to ID
(n). If it is determined "Yes" in step
95t, the process proceeds to step
95v. In step
95v, the processing section
51 determines whether the remote control
15 has a capability to display the image, or there is an image display request from
the remote control
15. If it is determined "Yes" in step
95v, in step
95w, the processing section
51 reads out the image data corresponding to ID (n) from the disc information file
53. In step
95x, the processing section
51 sends the read out image data to the master machine (i.e., the recording/reproduction
apparatus
35 in Figure
6) via the communication section
41a, the communication channel
283 and the communication section
41. Then, the process returns to step
95k.
[0069] If it is determined "No" in step
95v (i.e., if the remote control
15 cannot display the image), the process proceeds to step
96j of Figure
12, the processing section
51 reads out m-th property data corresponding to ID(n) from the disc information file
53. In step
95k, the processing section
51 sends the read out property data to the master machine (i.e., the recording/reproduction
apparatus
35 in Figure
6) via the communication section
41a, the communication channel
283 and the communication section
41. Then, the process proceeds to step
96e. In step
96e, the property data is finally sent to the remote control
15 from the master machine. Finally, the property data is displayed on the display portion
39 of the remote control
15.
(Method for reducing time loss during recording/reproduction in recording/reproduction
apparatus)
[0070] Next, with reference to the flowchart of Figure
18, a procedure for creating a disc information file in the recording/reproduction apparatus
35 will be described.
[0071] As shown in Figure
15(a) and
(b), a main unit antenna
110 is provided near a tray
113 in which the optical disc
1 is set. A tray antenna
112 is provided inside the tray
113.
[0072] The main unit antenna
110 transmits radio waves periodically or when the tray
113 is slid out (step
111a). Thus, when the optical disc
1 on which an ID chip is mounted is brought near the tray
113 (step
111b), ID information of the optical disc
1 is read out by radio waves transmitted from the main unit antenna
110. It is determined whether reading out the ID information of the optical disc 1 is
completed (step
111c).
[0073] When the optical disc
1 is set in the tray
113, the set signal is turned ON (step
111d). When the set signal is turned ON, the tray antenna
112 transmits radio waves (step
111e). By the radio waves transmitted from the tray antenna
112, the ID information of the optical disc
1 is read out. It is determined whether reading out the ID information of the optical
disc
1 is completed (step
111f).
[0074] At this step, it is recognized which of the optical discs
1 will be inserted into the recording/reproduction apparatus
35 for reproduction or recording. Thus, the reproduction or recording can be started
using data in the disc information file
53 in the recording/reproduction apparatus
35.
[0075] After reading out the ID information is completed, the tray
113 is stored as shown in Figure
17 (step
111g), and the optical disc
1 is attached to a rotation motor member
121. Rotation of the optical disc
1 is started (step
111h).
[0076] As shown in Figure
16, in an inner peripheral portion of the optical disc
1, bar codes
114 called BCA are formed circumferentially. The bar codes
114 record ID numbers which are different for every optical disc
1. In the factory, BCA information, which corresponds to the ID information stored in
the transmission/reception IC
4 to be mounted on the optical disc
1 (hereinafter, referred to as the ID information of the IC), is recorded in the BCA.
Of course, BCA information same as the ID information of the IC may be included. Hereinafter,
ID information included in BCA information is referred to as ID information of the
BCA. In the normal optical disc
1, the ID information of the IC and the ID information of the BCA match. The recording/reproduction
apparatus
35 reads out the ID information of the BCA (step
111j), verifies the ID information of the BCA and the ID information of the IC (step
111j), and determines whether they match or have a particular relationship (step
111k). If it is determined "No" in step
111k, the recording/reproduction apparatus 35 regards the optical disc
1 as an invalid disc and stops recording or reproduction (step
111m). The tray
113 is slid out (step
111n), and "Invalid ID information" is displayed on a display potion
151 (Figure
21) (step
111p). In this way, invalid use of a disc such as an unauthorized duplication, an unauthorized
reproduction and the like can be prevented.
[0077] If the optical disc
1 is used in the recording/reproduction apparatus
35 for the first time, the ID information
37 read from the optical disc
1 by radio waves and optical ID information
115 optically read from the BCA are recorded in the disc information file
53 as shown in Figure
9. Media ID
116 and a cryptographic key block
117 are recorded in the disc information file
53 as shown in Figure
9 (step
111q). Further, in the case where the optical disc
1 is a writable-type disc, a key which is suitable for the machine is selected from
the cryptographic key block
117 which is called MKB (Media Key Block) for copyright protection which limits duplication
over multiple generations, and encodes the contents or the information corresponding
the contents using the cryptographic key and the media ID
116 corresponding to the optical ID information
115 to record in the recording region of the optical disc
1 (step
111r).
[0078] In step
111s, a still picture image encoder
131 (Figure
21) compresses the first still picture of each scene in the contents input from an input
section
130. A thumbnail processing section
135 records still pictures compressed by the still picture image encoder
131 in the disc information file
53. A low-definition image encoder
132 (Figure
21) creates thumbnails of low-definition image such as MPEG 4 based on contents input
from the input section
130 for a particular amount of time (for example, 20 seconds). The thumbnail processing
section
135 records thumbnails of low-definition image created by the low-definition image encoder
132 in the disc information file
53. Further, a normal quality image is compressed by an image encoder
133 and recorded in the disc information file
53. If it is determined that a copyright protection flag is ON in step
111t, contents encrypted by an encryption encoder
134 is recorded in the disc information file
53 (step
111u).
[0079] With reference to a flow chart of Figure
19, the procedure continued from the flow chart of Figure
18 will be described. In step
119a, when an optical disc
1 is brought close to the tray
113, detection signal is ON because an approach sensor
150 is provided in front of the tray
113 as shown in Figures
15 and
21. In step
119b, the antenna
110 transmits radio waves for detection. In step
119c, a response signal including the ID information is sent back from the optical disc
1. Thus, reading out the ID information is completed. In step
119d, when the optical disc
1 is set in the tray
113, a set signal is ON and the antenna
112 transmits radio waves to the optical disc
1 (step
119e). If it is determined that reading out the ID information is completed in step
119f, in step
119g, the ID information or the property information of the optical disc
1 (for example, the remaining capacity of the optical disc
1) is displayed on the display portion
151. If it is determined that there is a disc information file
53 regarding the optical disc
1 in step
119o, a latency time for reproduction or recording can be reduced. If it is determined
that reproduction start button is pressed in step
119h, the tray
113 is stored and the optical disc
1 is rotated (step
119j). In step
119k, the media ID, the cryptographic key block such as MKB and the like are read out from
the disc information file
53 recorded in the recording/reproduction apparatus
35. In step
119m, contents information recorded in HDD or the like in the recording/reproduction apparatus
35 is read out. In the case where the contents are encrypted, the process proceeds to
step
119p, and a cryptographic key for decoding is created by using the media ID and cryptographic
key block to obtain plaintext by decoding the encrypted contents. In step
119q, the plaintext is decoded by an AV decoder to output a digital audiovisual signal.
The data is read out from the contents recording section of the disc information file.
[0080] Next, the data read out from the optical disc
1 is output. More specifically, in step
119r, the tray
113 is stored and the reproduction of the optical disc
1 is started. The optical ID information of the optical disc
1 is optically read out from the optical disc
1, and, in step
119t, it is verified whether the optical ID information and the radio wave ID information
match or have a particular relationship. If it is determined "No" in step
119t, the optical ID information is given a higher priority, and, if there is a disc information
file corresponding to the optical ID information, a thumbnail therein is output. If
there is no disc information file corresponding to the optical ID information, the
process is held until a signal from the optical disc
1 is obtained (step
119u). In step
119v, it is determined whether the reproduction of the optical disc
1 is started. In step
119w, it is prepared for the switching an output signal from the signal read out from the
disc information file to the reproduction signal from the optical disc
1. Switching of the output signal is performed so that a time stamp of the signal read
out from the disc information file matches a time stamp of the reproduction signal
from the optical disc
1. In step
119x, the output signal is switched at the same time and at an interval of GOPs (step
119y). The reproduction is started in a normal reproduction mode (step
119z).
[0081] If it is determined "No" in step
119h in Figure
19 (i.e., when the reproduction start button is not pressed), it is determined whether
a recording start button is pressed in step
119i. If it is determined "Yes" in step
119i, the process proceeds to step
120 of Figure
20.
[0082] In step
120, it is determined whether the optical disc
1 has been recorded one time or more, and thus, the disc information file has already
been obtained. If it is determined "Yes" in step
120, in step
120a, a procedure of storing the tray
113 and recording to the optical disc
1 is started. In step
120b, the media ID and the cryptographic key block corresponding to the ID is read out
from the disc information file. In step
120c, coded information, which is coded contents information, is encrypted using the media
ID and the cryptographic key block read out from the disc information file to create
a code. In step
120d, the code is temporarily recorded in a memory other than the optical disc, such as
an IC. In other words, the code is recorded in an IC or HDD during a preparation time
(normally, 30 seconds to 1 minute) for recording to the optical disc
1. In step
120e, the ID information of the optical disc
1 (referred to as optical ID information) is optically read. In step
120f, it is determined whether the optical ID information and the radio wave ID information
matches or have a particular relationship. If it is determined "No" in step
120f, the process proceeds to step
120g and the optical ID information is used in precedence. The tray
113 is slid out and the radio wave ID information is read out again. Then, the optical
ID information and radio wave ID information are verified. If the verification result
is satisfactory, the code is restored to the original coded information, and, by using
the media ID and the cryptographic key block of the disc information file
53 corresponding to the optical ID information, the coded information of the contents
is encrypted again to create a code. If it is determined "Yes" in step
120f, it is determined whether preparation for recording to the optical disc is finished
or not in step
120h. If it is determined "Yes" in step
120h, the rotational velocity of the optical disc
1 is set to be double-speed or higher in step
120i. In step
120j, the code recorded in a memory such as an IC or the like is recorded to the optical
disc
1 from the start time.
(Method for creating thumbnails of disc information file)
[0083] In step
120k, an image for a certain amount of time or a still picture of low-definition coded
information which is contents coded at a bit rate lower than that for the above coded
information is recorded in the disc information file as a thumbnail. In step
120m, when the recording rate to the optical disc
1 is S
R and the rate of input signal is S
I, recording is performed for a certain amount of time with S
R>S
I maintained. In step
120n, time information t
R of the contents currently recorded in the optical disc
1 and time information t
I of the contents which are currently being input are compared. If t
I>t
R in step
120p, the process returns to step
120m. If t
I=t
R, approximately (i.e., a difference between t
I and t
R is 1 to 2 frames), in step
120q, the contents are directly recorded to the optical disc
1. In step
120r, when recording rate of the optical disc is S
R and the rate of the input signal is S
I, S
R≈S
I. Then, normal recording is performed in step
120s.
(Method for searching corresponding disc ID)
[0084] Next, a method for searching desired disc ID information and further physically locating
the disc by using property information of the disc information file will be described.
[0085] First, in step
135a of Figure
22, property information of the contents is input. Physical information such as a disc
capacity, a remaining capacity and the like, and property information of the contents
such as a name of an actor featured in the program, trade name, place name and the
like. In step
135b, the disc information file is searched using the property information of the input
contents as keywords. If the ID corresponding to the property information of the contents
is located in step
135c, it is determined whether the optical disc of the ID is the desired optical disc in
step
135d. If it is determined "Yes" in step
135d (i.e., when the optical disc of the ID is the desired disc), the process proceeds
to step
135k and a termination process is performed. If it is determined "No" in step
135d, the property information of the disc (for example, remaining capacity or the like)
is input in step
135e. In step
135f, the input property information of the disc is used as keywords to search the disc
information file. If the ID corresponding to the property information of the disc
is located in step
135g, it is determined whether the optical disc of the ID is the desired disc in step
135h. If it is determined "Yes" in step
135g, the process proceeds to step
135k and the termination process is performed. If it is determined "No" in step
135g, the process proceeds to step
135i and access to other machines (for example, a server connected to a network) is made
using the communication means and the disc information file is searched. In this case,
if the corresponding ID is located in step
135j, the process proceeds to step
135k and the corresponding ID is displayed on the display portion of the recording/reproduction
apparatus and the display portion of the remote control. If it is determined "No"
in step
135j, the process proceeds to step
135m and the display portion displays that there is no corresponding ID. Then, the process
ends.
(Method for physically searching optical disc)
[0086] With reference to the flow chart of Figure
23, the procedure continued from the flow chart of Figure
22 will be described. The ID number of the optical disc to be searched for is specified
in step
135k. Next, a method for searching for an optical disc having a specified ID number will
be described.
[0087] In step
136a, a question "Search for disc?" is displayed on the display portion. In the case of
searching for a disc (i.e., when it is determined "Yes" in step
136b), radio waves for a search are transmitted in step
136c. For example, as shown in Figure
24(a), the radio waves for a search are transmitted from transmitting antennas
18a, 18b, and
18c in three directions in a time-division manner. As shown in Figure
24(b), response signals from optical discs are time-divided into time slots A, B and C,
and thus, they can be readily separated. IDs are read from each of the reception signals
139a, 139b in step
136d, and determined whether each of them is a corresponding ID or not in step
136e. If there is a corresponding ID, the corresponding ID is displayed in step
136f. For example, as shown in Figure
24(c), an arrow
140a is displayed on the displaying portion
39 of the remote control
15. The arrow
140a indicates that the optical disc which is being searched for is in the direction of
the arrow. An alarm sound is activated in step
136g. The alarm sound may be activated at the same time as displaying the corresponding
ID in step
136f. In step
136h, it is determined whether the search for all the optical discs which are being searched
for is completed. If it is determined that the search has been completed, all the
IDs are displayed (step
136i) and the process stops (step
136j). If it is determined that the search is not completed yet, the number of remaining
IDs is displayed (step
136k) and the process returns to the step
136c.
(Method for updating disc information file)
[0088] A method for updating a disc information file in the case where a plurality of recording/reproduction
apparatuses are used in one household.
[0089] As shown in Figure
25, in an inner peripheral portion of the writable-type optical disc
1 according to the present invention, a disc information file region
144 is provided. The recording/reproduction apparatuses respectively access to this portion,
compare the disc information file with those of themselves and update only new information.
[0090] More specifically, in step
143b of Figure
26, the recording/reproduction apparatuses read the data in the disc information file
region
144 shown in Figure
25. In step
143c, it is determined data regarding the inserted optical disc is recorded in the disc
information file in the recording/reproduction apparatus. If it is determined "No"
in step
143c, the disc information file of the optical disc is created and added to the disc information
file
53 of the recording/reproduction apparatus (main unit) in step
143k. If it is determined "Yes" in step
143c, the process proceeds to step
143d. It is determined whether the update time
141 of the disc information file of the main unit (Figure
9) is older than the update time of the disc information file of the optical disc. If
it is determined to be old (i.e., it is determined "Yes" in step
143d), the data of the main unit is replaced with the corresponding data of the disc (step
143e). In this case, the reliability of data is high. Thus, a data reliability flag
142 (Figure
9) is set to 1 (high) (step
143f).
[0091] In step
143g, it is determined whether data of disc information files of discs different from the
inserted optical disc are recorded in the disc information file region
144. If it is determined "Yes" in step
143g, it is determined whether the disc information files regarding the discs are new compared
with the disc information file of the main unit (step
143h). If it is determined "Yes" in step
143h, the data of the main unit is replaced with data of the disc for only a disc information
file of a disc of a particular ID (step
143i). The data reliability flag of the disc information file of another disc replaced in
step
143i is set to 0 (low) (step
143j). In this way, every time a disc is inserted into apparatuses, data of the disc information
file is updated.
(Method for fabricating antenna)
[0092] A method for fabricating an antenna according to the present invention includes a
first method of first creating an IC module, in which an IC, antennas, components
such as capacitors or the like and wiring are integrated, and then fixing the IC module
onto a disc substrate by adhesion or the like, and a second method for directly forming
antennas or wiring, or a capacitor on a disc substrate. First, the module method is
described.
(Method for fabricating antenna in module scheme)
[0093] A skin depth of an antenna will be 8 µm and 0.6 µm when transmitting/receiving frequency
is 13.5 MHz or 2.5 MHz, respectively. In order to efficiently receive radio waves
of 13.5 MHz, the thickness of the antenna has to be 8 µm or greater. Thus, forming
an antenna portion by a thick film process such as an electrolytic plating used in
the normal fabrication process of a print substrate is suitable for this application,
which requires sensitivity. The process is as follows. First, a substrate
7 which has an embedding hole for embedding an IC module is created. The substrate
7 may be used as a substrate for an optical disc. Separately, an IC module
201 is created and the IC module
201 is embedded in the embedding hole in the substrate
7. In the case of an optical disc of a type in which two substrates are bonded, after
the two substrates are bonded, a label printing is performed to complete the optical
disc.
[0094] With reference to Figure
27, the method will be described in detail. Figure
27(a) shows a shape of an IC module with an adhesive layer added therein. For forming an
embedding hole
202 for embedding the IC module
201 on a side of the substrate
7, an embedding protrusion
212 is provided in a stamper
206. A guard band
203 is provided across a distance Lg from one end of the embedding protrusion
212. In a peripheral portion of the stamper
206, outside the guard band
203, protrusions for forming an information layer
6, on/from which information can be recorded/reproduced. The guard band
203 is provided for preventing disturbances in the flow of the adhesive layer due to
presence of the embedding hole
202 from affecting the information layer
6 in the later bonding step. When a width of the guard band
203 is Lg, the width is set to be Lg≥1 mm. This allows the adhesive layer to be formed
stably on the information layer
6 in a bonded disc. Therefore, degradation in optical property of the adhesive layer
in the case of a two-layer disc can be prevented. Further, in a single-layer disc,
since there is no gap in a bonded portion, degradation of the information layer in
an environment of after a long amount of time has elapsed is prevented.
[0095] Figure
27(b) shows an entire process of an injection molding process. First, the stamper
206 is attached to a stamper holder
204 and fixed so as to oppose a fixed mold
205. A resin
208 is injected from an injection hole for resin
207 in a direction of an arrow
209 into the fixed mold
205. A cutting punch
210 punches a central hole. Then, the resin
28 is separated from the stamper
206 by an ejector
211. Thus, a substrate
7 formed of the resin
28 can be removed. The embedding hole
202 having a doughnut-shape is formed in the substrate
7. Thus, the IC module
201 shown in Figure
27(a) can be accommodated without a gap.
[0096] Figure
27(c) shows an example in which the embedding protrusion
212 of the IC module
201 is formed in the stamper holder
204 instead of the stamper
206. In this example, it is sufficient if protrusions of pits
213 or tracks
214 of the information layer
6 are formed in the stamper
206. This provides an effect of simplifying the fabrication of the stamper
206.
[0097] The IC module
201 is formed on the substrate
7 on a side of the information layer
6.
[0098] As shown in Figure
29(a), by bonding a substrate
215 which does not have an information layer and the substrate
7 which has the information layer
6 with an adhesive layer
216, a single optical disc
217 is completed. In this example, the IC module
201 is protected by the adhesive layer
216, providing a significant effect that a step of forming a protection layer can be omitted.
[0099] Figure
29(c) shows an example in which the substrate
7 is formed on a side away from the side to be read from, while the information layer
and the IC module
201 are formed in the substrate
7 on the side to be read from. In this example, an IC portion of the IC module
201 can be prevented from being seen from the label side, providing an effect of improving
the design.
[0100] Figure
29(d) shows an example in which the substrate
7 is formed on the side to be read from. In this example, by setting the thickness
of two substrates within the range of 0.55 to 0.64 mm and the thickness of the adhesive
layer
216 to 0.055±0.015mm, an effect that the disc can be reproduced by a player of DVD standards
can be achieved.
[0101] Figure
29(e) shows an example in which a blue laser is used. The thickness of the substrate
7 is set to be 1.1 mm or smaller and the thickness of the adhesive layer is set to
be 0.025 mm.
[0102] In an optical disc in which two substrates are bonded, if the information layer
6 is formed on only one substrate, the other substrate
215 does not have an information layer
6. In this case, as shown in Figure
29 (b), a substrate
215a, and, also, the IC module
201 are formed on the side of the optical disc
217 opposite to the side to be read from. The contents of the information layer are different
for every title. In the methods shown in Figure
27(b) and
(c), the optical disc
217 is defective in both of the cases where the IC module is defective and where the
information layer
6 is defective, increasing the total number of possible defects. In the method shown
in Figure
29(b), defects of the substrate
215a and the defects of the substrate
7 can be separated from each other. By bonding only good substrates
215a to the substrate
7, an effect of reducing the number of defects of the completed optical disc
217 can be achieved.
[0103] Next, a method for fabricating the substrate
215a will be described with reference to Figure
28. First, a stamper holder
204a having the embedding protrusion
212 is fixed to the fixed mold
205. Then, the resin
208 is injected to form the substrate
7.
(Formation of angle identifying mark)
[0104] In the conventional type optical disc, it is not necessary to specify the orientation
of the substrate of the optical disc. Thus, the optical disc has no mark for identifying
an angle and merely has means for recognizing characters and symbols on the substrate.
Thus, a high precision for detecting an angular position cannot be achieved. In the
present invention, in the case of mounting the IC, antennas or components on the substrate,
the angular position has to be adjusted with high precision. Therefore, as shown in
Figure
30(a), a mechanical angle identifying recessed portion
220 is provided with high precision along an A-A' cross section of a liquid pool protrusion
222 of the stamper holder
204. The mechanical angle identifying recessed portion
220 is a notch having a depth of d mm. By providing the notch
220 as such, as shown in Figure
30(b), an angle identifying mark
223 composed of a protrusion of height d is formed in a circumferential trench of the
substrate
7 of the optical disc. By using the angle identifying mark
223, mounting and formation at a high precision become possible in later steps of attaching
the IC module
201 and the like, directly forming antennas which will be described later, or mounting
an IC.
[0105] As shown in Figure
30(c), in a cross-section along C-C' of the stamper holder
204, an angle identifying protrusion
221 is provided at an angle of θ. As shown in Figure
30(d), a corresponding angle identifying recessed portion is provided in an embedding protrusion
224. The angle identifying protrusion
221 and the angle identifying recessed portion are fitted into each other. The embedding
hole
202 and the angular identifying mark
223 are formed on the substrate
7 in a relative position at a high angle. Figure
30(e) is a cross-sectional view of the stamper holder
204 and the embedding protrusion
224.
(Description of IC module)
[0106] Figure
31(a) is a top view of the IC module
201 having a double-wound antenna
231, an IC
230, an insulating layer
232, and wiring
233. Figure
31(b) shows a cross-sectional view along A-A' of Figure
31(a).
[0107] A process for fabricating the IC module
201 will be described with reference to Figure
31(b).
[0108] A wiring substrate
234 having a thin sheet shape of 10 to 20 µm, such as a flexible substrate is prepared.
More specifically, a plurality of wirings are created together using a sheet having
a large area, and then, after completion, the sheet is punched into doughnut-shapes
as shown in Figure
31(a). Thus, mass production is possible. A notch at a particular angular position is provided
in an inner periphery or an outer peripheral portion at a particular angular position
to form a similar angle identifying mark
223a. When the IC module
201 is adhered to the substrate
7 of the optical disc in a later step, relative positions in terms of angles with respect
to each other can be precisely adjusted by corresponding the angle identifying mark
223a with the angle identifying mark
223 of the substrate
7. This provides an effect that the IC module
201 can be precisely embedded into the embedding hole in an angular direction. Since
the optical disc is fabricated at a good precision in the circumferential direction
inherently, it is not necessary to add special means for improving a precision of
attaching in the circumferential direction.
[0109] With reference to Figure
31(b), in step 1, the antenna
231 (231a, 231b and
231c) is formed. The antenna
231 of a thick film can be fabricated by, for example, an electroless plating or printing
method. In step 2, the insulating layer
232 is formed. In step 3, the wiring
233 of a bridge-type is formed over the insulating layer
232 such that the bridge crosses over the antenna
231b. In step
4, the IC
230 is attached to two terminals of the antenna
231 by bonding. A bonding method can be, for example, a method using an anisotropic conductive
sheet or the like. By using this method, a flat back surface of the print substrate
234 is obtained. Thus, a flow of an adhesive resin is not blocked during a step of boding
substrates, thereby preventing deterioration in the optical property. By providing
a capacitor for resonance which is not shown in Figure
31 and will be described later with reference to Figure
44, the antenna sensitivity can be substantially improved. Instead of forming the insulating
layer
232, wiring
233 for a bridge may be formed at the back surface of the print substrate
234 and connected by providing two through holes in the print substrate
234.
(Method for attaching IC module)
[0110] A method for attaching the IC module
201 to the embedding hole
202 of the substrate
7 of the optical disc shown in step 1 of Figure
32 will be described. As shown in step 2 of Figure
32, when a maximum height of the IC portion or the like of the IC module
201 is d4, the IC module
201 is attached to the substrate
7 by using an adhesive sheet
235 having a sheet thickness of d2 and a maximum depth of d4. In step
3, the adhesive sheet is cured by heating, ultraviolet rays, or the like and fixing
of the IC module
201 to the substrate
7 of the optical disc is completed. As shown in Figure
32, the IC module
201 is flat with respect to the surface of the substrate
7 of the completed disc. Between the IC module
201 and the information layer
6, a guard band having a distance of Lg is provided. In the optical disc of the type
in which two substrates are bonded (for example, the optical disc as shown in Figure
29(c)), the substrate
7 of the optical disc fabricated as shown in Figure
33(a) and the other substrates
218 are opposed to each other with a gap of 0. 025 mm to 0.05 mm therebetween and an
adhesive
236 having a light transmittance is enclosed in the gap. The adhesive
236 flows in a direction of an arrow
237. In this case, if the IC module
201 has the structure shown in Figure
32, the IC module
201 is flat at the same level as the surface of the substrate
7. Thus, a flow of the adhesive
236 is flat on an attaching portion of the IC module
201 as indicated by arrows
237a, 237b, and
237c. Thus, no disturbance is generated in the flow of the adhesive
236. Therefore, a precision in intervals between the gaps is achieved and the flow of
the adhesive
236 is not affected, thereby causing a significant effect that optical properties such
as birefringence or the like after the adhesive
236 is cured are not deteriorated. The height d5 as shown in step 3 of Figure
32, which is a difference in levels of the IC module
201 and the surface of the substrate, is maintained within the range of ±0.015 mm. Thus,
the optical disc can meet the standards for DVD or the like. In the case where an
ultra-ray curable resin is used as the adhesive
236, the adhesive
236 is irradiated with ultra rays and cured to form the adhesive layer
216 (Figure
33(b)). In this way, an optical disc of the type in which two substrates are bonded is completed.
By providing a guard band having the width Lg of 1 mm or greater, an effect on an
optical property of the adhesive layer of the information layer
6 by adding the IC module
201 can be eliminated.
(Method for mounting non-flat IC module)
[0111] A method for making the substrate surface flat after embedding by previously providing
an embedding hole having protruded and recessed portions on the substrate
7 side has been described above. Hereinafter, a method of forming a flat embedding
hole
238 in the substrate
7 will be described. As shown in Figure
34(a), the embedding protrusion
212 having a height of d7 is provided in the stamper
206 and injection molding is performed. Thus, the substrate
7 having a flat embedding hole
238 of a depth of d7 can be obtained. In this case, an effect of preventing deterioration
in optical properties such as birefringence or the like of the transparent substrate
7 of the information layer
6 or the adhesive layer
216 can be achieved by providing a guard band, which satisfies Lg≥1 mm, between the information
layer
6 and the embedding hole
238. Further, as shown in Figure
34(b), instead of providing the embedding protrusion
212 in the stamper
206, the embedding protrusion
212 may be provided in the stamper holder
204. This structure provides an effect of reducing a time for fabricating the stamper
206.
[0112] Figure
35 shows a method for mounting the IC module onto the substrate. In step 1, the IC module
201 is mounted into the embedding hole
238 of the substrate
7, described above, via an adhesive sheet
235 from the print substrate
234 side opposite to the side on which the IC
230 is attached. Step 2 shows the IC module
201 being embedded into the embedding hole
238. In this case, when a height of the IC
230 from the substrate surface is d11, and a height of the print substrate
234 from the substrate surface is d12, by maintaining the sum of d11+d12 within the rage
of ±0.015 mm, i.e., 0.03 mm, the disc will meet the standards for the optical disc
and thus have the compatibility.
[0113] Furthermore, the IC
230 and the antenna
231 are formed on the print substrate
234 such that the volume of the IC module
201 within the range of d11 (i.e., a total sum of the volume of a portion of the IC module
201 protruding from a surface of the substrate
7 to be bonded) and the volume of a gap portion except for an antenna or IC within
the range of d12 (i.e., a total sum of the volume of a gap portion which is recessed
with respect to the surface on which the substrate
7 is bonded) are about the same. With such a structure, if an adhesive
236 is enclosed in a step of bonding the substrate
7 and the substrate
218 shown in step 3, when the volumes are averaged, they are even out to be zero. Thus,
the embedding portion of the IC module
201 can be regarded equivalently that it has the same height as the surface on which
the substrate
7 is bonded. Since they have equivalently the same heights, the same volume of the
adhesive is enclosed in the IC module region, the substrate portion, and the portion
of the information layer
6. Thus, the adhesive
236 is distributed with a uniform thickness. This provides an effect that the thickness
of the adhesive layer
216 becomes uniform. In such a structure, an alignment in an angular direction is not
necessary. This eliminates not only the need for an angle identifying mark but also
a step for aligning in an angular direction.
(Method for attaching IC to IC module on disc substrate side)
[0114] Figure
36 shows an embodiment in which the IC
230 and the bridge wiring
233 are provided on a side of the embedding hole of the substrate, and the antenna
231 is provided on the side opposite to the embedding hole of the substrate
7.
[0115] As shown in Figure
36(a), the double-wound antenna
231 is formed on a top surface (surface) of the print substrate
234. As shown in Figure
36(b), the bridge wiring
233, the wiring
239 and the IC
230 are formed on a back surface of the print substrate
234. By forming the components on the top surface and the back surface of the print substrate
234 as such, the IC module is fabricated.
[0116] Figure
36(c) shows a cross-section along A-A' of the IC module shown in Figure
36(b). The thickness d17 of the antenna
231 is 8 µm of skin depth for 13.5 MHz as described above. When the thickness d13 of
the print substrate
234 is 15 through 20 µm, the thickness d14 of the wiring
239 is 8 µm, the thickness d19 of the IC
230 is 50 µm, the thickness d16 of an adhesive layer is 15 µm, and the maximum thickness
d22 is 100 µm. Thus, if there is no embedding hole, the adhesive layer
216 of the bonded portion cannot fall within the range of 55±15 µm.
[0117] Figure
36(e) shows a cross-section of the substrate
7. The maximum depth d20 of the embedding hole
202 of the substrate
7 is about 90 µm, and the minimum depth d21 is about 30 µm.
[0118] Figure
36(f) shows the IC module (Figure
36(c)) being adhered onto the substrate 7 (Figure
36(e)) via the adhesive layer (Figure
36(d)). As shown in Figure
36(e), the IC module is adhered onto the substrate
7 via the adhesive layer such that the antenna
231 is on the opposite side to the embedding hole of the substrate
7 and the bridge wiring
233, the wiring
239 and the IC
230 are on the side of the embedding hole of the substrate
7. As can be seen in Figure
36(f), the print substrate
234 and the IC
230 are suitably accommodated below a surface of the substrate
7 and only the antenna
231 protrudes from the surface of the substrate
7. The protruded height d22 of the antenna
231 is 8 µm for 13.5 MHz. Thus, an effect is that the embedding hole allows the adhesive
layer
216, to be maintained within the thickness range of 55±15 µm.
[0119] As described with reference to step 2 of Figure
35, by embedding the IC module
201 more deeply so that the level of the IC module
201 is equivalently the same as the level of the substrate surface, the flow of the adhesive
236 during the bonding step is improved. This provides an effect that the optical property
is not deteriorated and the thickness of the adhesive layer
216 becomes more uniform. Further, since the angle identifying mark
223a is provided in the IC module, the embedding hole of the substrate and the IC module
can be mounted with a high precision in an angular direction.
[0120] The IC module produced as described above is mounted into the embedding hole on the
side on which the substrate is bonded and the substrates are bonded. Firstly, the
IC module can be protected by the adhesive layer without providing a special step
for forming a protection layer, and thus, the effects that the number of steps for
forming a protection layer can be reduced and the reliability of an environmental
resistance is improved, are obtained. Furthermore, since the IC module is at about
0.6 mm or 1.1 mm inside the disc, the effect that the IC module is prevented from
being destroyed by a mechanical contact from outside the completed bonded disc, is
provided. Similar effects can be obtained by a method for directly forming an antenna
which will be described below.
(Method for directly forming antenna: single-wound type)
[0121] A method for producing an IC module and attaching the IC module to an embedding portion
of the substrate has been mainly described above. Hereinafter, a method for forming
an antenna directly on a disc substrate will be described. A skin depth of an antenna
will be 8 µm and 0.6 µm for 13.5 MHz or 2.5 MHz, respectively. Thus, for 2.5 GHz,
an antenna can be formed by a thin-film method such as sputtering or the like. For
13.5 MHz, as shown in Figure
37, an electric field of the antenna is decreased exponentially as the depth of a metal
film increases. The energy is the integrated value of a square of the electric field.
Thus, for a film thickness of about 1 µm, the sensitivity is not deteriorated that
much and only the reception distance is shortened. Therefore, a thin-film method can
be applied to both if the application is selected. The same is also true of 2.5 MHz,
and the method can also be applied to the case of about 0.07 to 0.1µm. Thus, a process
of forming silver alloy or aluminum alloy on an optical disc substrate of polycarbonate
has already been used for many years in mass-production factories and the reliability
has been established. Therefore such a method can be used.
[0122] With reference to Figure
38, a method for forming a single-wound antenna will be described.
[0123] In step 1 of Figure
38(a), the antenna
231 is formed along a circumferential direction of the substrate
7 of the optical disc.
[0124] With reference to Figure
38(b), a step of directly attaching a bare IC chip on the substrate
7 will be described. In step 1, an embedding hole
240 which has a shape elongated in the circumferential direction is pre-formed on the
substrate
7 by an injection molding. In step 2, the antenna
231 is formed by sputtering with a notch
242 locally formed using a mask
241. In step 3, the IC
230 is bonded to a portion of the notch
242 of the antenna
231. The IC
230 is fixed by bonding or the like using wire bonding or an anisotropic conductive sheet.
Then, in the case of an optical disc in which two substrates are bonded, as shown
in step 3 of Figure
35, another substrate is provided to oppose and the adhesive
236 is enclosed therebetween to complete an optical disc. In this case, the IC
230 is enclosed within the adhesive
236. Thus, a step of forming a protection layer is not necessary. During the process from
the bonding of the IC chip to the step of boding the substrates, if a step of sputtering
a record layer or the like is performed, the protection layer
243 is provided over the IC 230 as shown in step 4 in Figure
38(b). Thus, an effect on the IC by the sputtering in later steps can be eliminated.
[0125] In step 3 of Figure
38(c), a sub-substrate
244 is formed. In step 4, a small IC block
247 is formed by attaching the IC
230 to the sub-substrate
244. In step 5, the adhesive sheet
235 is attached. In step
6, the small IC block
247 is attached to an embedding hole
240 of the substrate. In this step, the IC
230 is protected by the sub-substrate
244. This provides an effect that the sputtering step can be performed after this step.
As will be described later, in the case where a capacitor or the like is formed by
a method for forming a recording layer, sputtering is required. Thus, the effect is
significant because the influence of the sputtering on the IC can be prevented.
[0126] In a method for forming a thin film by sputtering or the like, an antenna conductor
having a thin thickness in the order of sub-micron is formed. Thus, when a low frequency
is used, the thickness of the antenna conductor does not reach the skin depth and
the transmission/reception efficiency of the antenna may be deteriorated. In the case
where such a low frequency is used, for example, the antenna conductor may be treated
with electrolytic plating or electroless plating without electrodes. The electrolytic
plating may be performed by, for example, attaching electrodes to the antenna conductor
and covering other metal portions, and/or recording film portions with a protection
film, and immersing the antenna conductor into an electrolytic solution and then placing
it into an electrolytic plating bath. By treating the antenna conductor with electrolytic
plating or electroless plating without electrodes, a thickness of the antenna conductor
can be increased and the thickness of the antenna conductor will become close to the
skin depth. By adding such a plating step after the step of forming a thin film, the
thickness of the antenna conductor can be increased. As a result, it becomes possible
to improve the transmission/reception efficiency of the antenna.
(Method for forming antenna after attaching IC)
[0127] Figure
38 shows a method in which the antenna
231 is first formed and then the IC is mounted. With reference to Figure
39, a method in which the antenna
231 is formed after the IC
230 is mounted will be described.
[0128] As shown in Figure
39(a), a rectangular embedding hole
240 which is elongated in the circumferential direction is formed at the time of the
injection molding in step 1, similarly to the method shown in Figure
38. In step 2 of Figure
39(b), the sub-substrate
244 of thickness d5 is formed. In step 3, electrodes
245 and
246 which are divided into two are formed around the sub-substrate
244. In step 4, the IC
230 is attached. In step 5, the adhesive sheet
235 is attached. In step 6, the sub-substrate
244 is attached into the embedding hole
240. As shown in a top view, the electrodes
245 and
246 are exposed. In step 7 of Figure
39(c), terminals
231a and
231b of the antenna
231 are formed by sputtering or the like. Thus, the antenna
231 and the IC
230 are electrically connected. In this case, the IC
230 is protected by the sub-substrate
244. Thus, a sputtering step can be performed in later steps. Further, the electrodes
245 and 246 and the substrate surface have the same level of height and they are continuous.
Therefore, even when the antenna 231 is formed using a thin-film process and connected,
the possibility of later destruction is reduced, thereby providing an effect of improving
reliability. Moreover, the sub-substrate with electrodes in step 3 can be produced
on a mass-production basis by only providing two electrodes in both ends of a long
sheet of the substrate and cutting the sheet into strips. Thus, a sub-substrate can
be implemented at an extremely low cost. A step of forming a metal film on an aluminum
alloy or a silver alloy, by sputtering, is carried out in a production process of
an optical disc of a RAM type or a ROM type. In the present invention, such a step
of forming a metal film is utilized to form the antenna. Thus, the antenna and/or
wiring can be formed in the inner peripheral portion of the optical disc without increasing
the steps of forming a film. This provides a significant effect that the IC of RF-ID
and the antenna can be formed in the optical disc without increasing the cost, except
for the cost for the IC.
(Method for directly forming multiple-wound antenna)
[0129] In the previous section, an embodiment of the single-wound antenna has been described.
For 2.5 GHz, the single-wound antenna does not cause any problem. In the case of 13.5
MHz, the sensitivity is deteriorated. For an application which requires a higher sensitivity,
a multiple-wound type antenna wound for n times is required.
[0130] Figure
40(a) is a top view of an optical disc provided with a multiple-wound antenna. An IC block
247, which has the positions of electrodes shifted from those in the rectangular IC block
247 described with reference to Figure
39(b), is embedded into the rectangular embedding hole
240 of the substrate
7. Two terminals of the three-time-wound antenna
231 are formed at both ends thereof by sputtering.
[0131] The method is described in more detail with reference to the cross-sectional views
shown in Figure
40(b). In step 1, the IC block
247 is fixed into the embedding hole
240 with the adhesive sheet
235. The electrodes
245 and
246 are exposed on the substrate surface. In step 2, on the exposed electrodes
245 and
246, both ends of the antenna
231 are formed by sputtering. Thus, the electrodes
245 and
246 and the terminals
231a and
231d at both ends of the antenna
231 are electrically connected respectively.
[0132] Figure
40(c) shows steps 1 and 2 described above, when viewed from the top. Figure
40(d) is a cross-sectional view when a liquid adhesive is used for adhesion. Some rises
of adhesive are observed between the substrate
7 and the electrodes
245 and
246 of the IC block
247, but bonding therebetween become more firm. Thus, in the case where the terminals
of the antenna
231 are formed by sputtering as shown in step 2, the possibility of a break in wire can
be reduced.
[0133] Figure
40(e) shows an example in which four bent portions
248a, 248b, 248c, and 248d are provided in the wiring of the antenna
231 of Figure
40(a). In this example, the wiring of the antenna 231 has a spiral shape with a diameter
decreasing as the spiral extends from the outer periphery to the inner periphery of
the optical disc. The bent portions of the wiring of the antenna 231 are formed in
order of the bent portions
248b, 248a, 248d, and
248c from the outer periphery to the inner periphery of the optical disc. At each of the
bend portions
248b, 248a, 248d, and
248c, the diameter of the wiring (winding) of the antenna
231 changes. In the example shown in Figure
40(e), in an interval between the end of the outer periphery and the bent portion
248b, the diameter of the wiring (winding) of the antenna
231 increases. In an interval between the bent portion
248b and the bent portion
248a, the diameter of the wiring (winding) of the antenna 231 decreases once. In an interval
between the bent portion
248a and the bent portion
248d, the diameter of the wiring (winding) of the antenna
231 increases. In an interval between the bent portion
248d to the bent portion
248c, the diameter of the diameter of the wiring (winding) of the antenna
231 decreases once. In an interval between the bent portion
248c and the end of the inner periphery, the diameter of the wiring (winding) of the antenna
231 increases. A bridge portion (the IC block
247 or a metal conductor) which bridges over the wiring of the antenna
231 between the bent portions
248b and
248a and the wiring of the antenna
231 between the bent portion
248d and
248c is provided. The bridge portion is connected to the end of the inner periphery of
the wiring of the antenna
231 and the end of the outer periphery of the wiring of the antenna
231.
[0134] Such a winding arrangement of the antenna provides an effect that the antenna can
be accommodated within a smaller circle. In an optical disc, the recording region
starts at a diameter of about 23 mm. Thus, only a narrow region from the inner periphery
to a central hole can be utilized as an antenna area. Thus, forming bent regions provides
a significant effect for an optical disc because an antenna having a larger number
of windings can be accommodated.
(Method for forming circuit or part of components by utilizing the step of formation
of recording disc)
[0135] In a recording-type disc, a recording region is formed by film formation steps for
6 to 8 layers. These layers include a metal layer which reflects a light and has a
high electric conductivity. There is also a plurality of layers for adjusting absorption
of light. These layers are insulators having low electric conductivity. Further there
is a semiconductor layer. The semiconductor layer is formed by a sputtering method.
The semiconductor layer can also be formed by evaporation. The present invention is
characterized in that an antenna, capacitor, resistance, and wiring are formed in the same step by utilizing
film formation steps of the metal layer, dielectric, and semiconductor. Thus, production
in a short time and at a low cost can be implemented by omitting a part or all of
the steps for an antenna, wiring and the like.
[0136] For example, at least a part of an antenna can be formed by utilizing a film formation
step for a metal reflection film included in an information layer on/from which information
can be recorded/reproduced. In this case, a metal reflection film and an antenna are
formed such that the thickness and the composition of the metal reflection film are
substantially the same as the thickness and the composition of at least a part of
the antenna.
[0137] With reference to Figure 41, an example of the structure of an information layer
of a current recording-type disc. The lowermost layer in Figure 41 is the substrate
7, which is composed of a transparent layer of polycarbonate and has a thickness of
0.6 mm, 1.1 mm, or 0.75 mm for the case of the bonded disc, and 0.8 mm or 1.2 mm for
the case of a single plate. On the substrate 7, an interface layer
252 composed of a dielectric having a thickness of few nm, a recording layer
253, an interface layer
254, a dielectric layer
255 having a thickness of 30 nm, a light absorption layer
256 having a thickness of 10 nm, and a reflection layer composed of Ag alloy or Al alloy
having the thickness of 100 nm, are formed. In the case where the information is read
out from the side of the substrate
7, the films are formed in the above-mentioned order. In the case where the information
is read out from the side of reflection of the substrate
7, naturally, films are formed in the reversed order, i.e., the reflection layer
257 is formed on the substrate
7, the light absorption layer
256 is formed thereon, and so on. Such a case can be implemented by performing the steps
of the present invention in the reversed order.
(Fabrication step of multiple-wound antenna and capacitor)
[0138] With reference to Figures
42 and
43, a method for fabricating an antenna and a capacitor, by utilizing a film formation
step for an information layer of an optical disc, will be described.
[0139] As shown in Figures
42 and
43(a), in step 1, the embedding hole
202 is provided on the substrate
7. In step 2, the IC block
247 is attached. As shown in step 3 of Figure
42, sputtering by metal targets
261a using a mask
260a is used to form the antenna
231 as shown in Figure
43. In step
4, sputtering by a dielectric target
261a is performed to form a dielectric layer
255 in the recording region and the region of the capacitor by the mask
260b. Step 4 of Figure
43 shows a top view. In step 5, the region of the antenna
231 and the capacitor
263 are covered with the mask
260c and the interface layer
254 and the recording layer
253, as shown in Figure
41, are sequentially formed in the recording region by sputtering. In step 6, sputtering
is performed by a metal target
261 of an aluminum or silver alloy, after the mask
260d is formed, on at least a part of the antenna
231 to form the reflection layer
257 and the electrode
262.
[0140] In this way, at least a part of the antenna
231 is formed by utilizing film formation steps of metal reflection films included in
the information layer. In this case, the metal reflection film and the antenna are
formed such that the thickness and the composition of the metal reflection film are
substantially the same as the thickness and the composition of at least a part of
the antenna
231. Further, at least a part of the capacitor
263 is formed by utilizing the film-formation step for a dielectric film included in
the information layer. In this case, the dielectric film and the capacitor
263 are formed such that the thickness, and the composition of the dielectric film, are
substantially the same as the thickness and composition of at least part of the capacitor
263.
(Capacitance of capacitor)
[0141] The capacitor 263 is formed for producing a resonance circuit as shown in Figure
44(a), (b), and
(c) when an inductance of the antenna is L. Setting f=1/2π (Route LC) as a frequency
for transmission/reception provides an effect of improving a total antenna sensitivity.
(Fabrication method of antenna portion)
[0142] Figure
45(a) is a top view of the mask
260b used for step 3 shown in Figure
42. The antenna
231 is formed by sputtering using the mask
260b. In amass-production process of optical discs, formation of a reflection film of an
Ag alloy having a thickness of 0.05 µm takes 1 second. Thus, in order to improve the
sensitivity, it takes nearly 10 seconds to form a skin depth of 0.6 µm for 2.5 GHz
even if it is cooled. In order to shorten a cycle time for sputtering in factories,
four discs are put in a chamber of sputtering at the same time as shown in Figure
45(b). Thus, the cycle time becomes one fourth the original length, 2-3 seconds for each
disc. The step can be introduced in a mass-production line in view of the cycle time.
Implementing the skin depth of 8 µm for 13.5 MHz is difficult to be intruded into
a mass-production line in view of the cycle time. The mass-production step can be
implemented by improving the substantial sensitivity by making the film thickness
about 1-2 µm, lowering the antenna sensitivity, and introducing a resonance circuit
in the capacitor of the present invention.
(Fabrication method for another resonance circuit)
[0143] By using the structure shown in Figure
43, the resonance circuit of Figure
44(a) is obtained. Hereinafter, a method for fabricating the resonance circuit having a
shape shown in Figure
44(b) will be described with reference to Figure
46. A first difference is the structure of the IC block
247. As shown in Figure
46(a), one electrode
246 is separated into an electrode
246a and an electrode
246b. In step 2, the IC
230 is connected to the electrode
246a. In step 3, the IC block
247 is mounted. In step 4, the antenna
231 is formed such that one terminal
231b of the antenna is electrically coupled to the electrode
246b. In step 5, the dielectric layer
251 is formed. In step 6, the reflection layer
257 is formed by sputtering such that the electrode
262 is electrically coupled to the terminal
231b of the antenna
231. In this way, a step of fabricating the antenna and IC portion having a resonance
circuit as shown in Figure
46(c) can be performed while also serving as a film formation step of the recording film.
(Method for fabricating antenna and reflection film in the same step)
[0144] With reference to Figure
42, an example of fabricating the antenna
231 and the reflection film in the same step has been described. By using a mask
260e as shown in Figure
47(a), the antenna
231 and the reflection layer
257 can be formed in the same film formation step. For the ROM disc, there are only two
steps for the reflection film and the protection film. Thus, the effect caused by
this method is significant.
[0145] By using the mask
260f as shown in Figure
48(a), sputtering is performed by a target
260 of Al or Ag. A single-wound antenna
231 and the reflection film
257 as shown in Figure
48(b) are formed. By only providing the embedding hole
240 and bonding the IC
230, a disc with an antenna and IC can be formed. This is achieved by only adding one
step of IC bonding, there is an effect that the disc can be fabricated extremely easily
at a low cost. This method can be applied to both a RAM disc and a ROM disc. Further,
two discs are bonded with the IC
230 inside to form one disc. The antenna and IC are protected from the external environment.
Thus, a high reliability can be achieved. The simplest method is to use an IC with
an antenna for RF-ID, embed the IC in the embedding hole
240 of the substrate
7, and bond the disc with the IC inside. If the cost of such an IC is reduced, a disc
with a high reliability can be readily fabricated with this method.
(Fabrication method for thin film antenna)
[0146] Figure
49(a) is a diagram showing a back surface of a thin film antenna
231g. Through holes
271a and
271b are provided in an antenna
231h on the inner peripheral portion. Figure
49(b) is a top view showing the antenna
231d formed. With reference to Figure
49(e), a fabrication step of a through hole will be described. In step 1, sputtering is
performed using the metal target
261 from a surface to the through hole
271 of the substrate
7 to form a metal layer
272a on the upper half part of the through hole
271. In step 2, a metal layer
272b is formed on the lower half part of the through hole
271 from the back surface side. The metal layer
272a on the surface side and the metal layer
272b on the back surface side are electrically coupled. In step 3, the IC 230 is bonded
on the back surface to complete the antenna and the IC portion. As shown in Figure
49(d), this disc is bonded with another disc to complete one disc. In this case, the adhesive
236 for bonding flows into the through hole and fills the hole. Thus, the IC and the
like inside is not affected by the external environment. For protecting the antenna
231c on a top surface, a protection layer
272 is formed. The antenna has two poles of surface and the back surface. Thus, it also
serves as a dipole antenna.
(Structure and operation of remote control)
[0147] The structure of the remote control
15 which is described with reference to Figure
5 will be described in more detail.
[0148] Figure
50(a) is a top view of the remote control
15. Figure
50(b) is a side view thereof. The remote control
15 incorporates an antenna
282, an activation switch
280, and a speaker
281. As shown in Figure
50(b), when the remote control
15 is horizontally placed in a usual manner, the activation switch
280 is not pressed and thus it is not activated. As shown in Figure
50(d), when the remote control is inclined and pressed against the optical disc
1, as shown in Figures
51 and
52, the activation switch is turned on and the RF signal is transmitted and received
by the antenna
231 of the optical disc
1, and the IC
230 transmits a response signal including an ID from the antenna
231. The signal is received by the antenna
282 and a confirmation sound is produced from the speaker
281 to notify the operator. After a certain amount of time has elapsed, power supply
to the transmission circuit is stopped.
[0149] Since the remote control 15 is mounted with a battery of a small capacity, it is
necessary to limit an operation of the circuit for transmitting an RF signal as small
as possible. The method shown in Figure
50 provides an effect of reducing power supply consumption and extending the lifetime
of the battery of the remote control since the power supply is turned on, the RF signal
is transmitted, and the ID is detected for a certain amount of time when the switch
280 is pressed against the disc
1.
[0150] At least the following items are within the scope of the present invention.
A1. An optical disc comprising: an antenna formed along a circumferential direction;
and an IC for transmitting/receiving radio waves via the antenna.
A2. An optical disc according to item A1, further comprising an information layer
to/from which information can be recorded/reproduced.
A3. An optical disc according to item A2, wherein the antenna and the IC is provided
in an inner peripheral portion of the optical disc, and the information layer is provided
in an outer peripheral portion of the optical disc.
A4. An optical disc according to item A1, wherein the IC includes: a receiving section
for receiving the radio waves; an ID information storage section for storing the ID
information for identifying the optical disc; a signal generation section for generating
a signal including the ID information in response to a signal output from the receiving
section; and a transmitting section for transmitting the signal.
A5. A remote control apparatus for performing wireless communication with the optical
disc according to item A4, comprising: a transmitting section for transmitting radio
waves to the optical disc; a receiving section for receiving a response signal from
the optical disc; and an ID reproduction section for reproducing ID information in
response to an output from the receiving section.
A6. A remote control apparatus according to item A5, further comprising a transmitting
section for transmitting the ID information to a recording/reproduction apparatus
which performs at least one of a recording operation of recording information on the
optical disc and a reproduction operation of reproducing information recorded on the
optical disc.
[0151] Further, at least the following items are within the scope of the present invention.
B1. A substrate of having a disc shape, provided with an embedding hole for embedding
a wiring substrate having an IC attached thereto.
B2. An optical disc comprising a first substrate having a disc shape, which has an
embedding hole and a wiring substrate having an IC attached thereto, wherein the wiring
substrate is embedded into the embedding hole of the first substrate.
B3. An optical disc according to item B2, further comprising: a second substrate having
a disc shape, which opposes the first substrate, and an adhesive layer for bonding
the first substrate and the second substrate.
B4. An optical disc according to item B2, wherein the first substrate is provided
with an angle identifying mark which indicates a predetermined angle.
B5. An optical disc according to item B2, wherein the IC and the wiring board are
included in an IC module, the IC module is embedded in the embedding hole of the first
substrate, and a level of a surface of the first substrate and a level of a surface
of the IC module embedded into the embedding hole are substantially the same.
B6. An optical disc according to item B2, wherein the IC and the wiring board are
included in an IC module, a part of the IC module protrudes from a surface of the
first substrate, and a total sum of a volume of a portion protruding with respect
to the surface of the first substrate and a total sum of a volume of a gap, which
is a portion recessed with respect to the substrate of the first substrate.
B7. An optical disc according to item B2, further comprising an antenna connected
to the IC, the IC transmits/receives radio waves via the antenna.
B8. An optical disc according to item B7, wherein the IC, the wiring substrate, and
the antenna are included in the IC module, the antenna is formed on a surface of the
wiring substrate, which is a surface opposite to the first substrate, and the IC is
formed on a surface of the wiring substrate, which is a surface on the first substrate
side.
B9. An optical disc according to item B7, wherein the antenna includes antenna wiring
of a spiral shape having a diameter decreasing as it extends from the outer peripheral
portion to an inner peripheral portion of the optical disc, and the antenna wiring
is provided with a plurality of bent portions where the diameter of the antenna wiring
changes.
B10. An optical disc according to item B7, further comprising an information layer
to/from which information can be recorded/reproduced, wherein the information layer
includes a metal reflection film, and the metal reflection film and the antenna are
formed such that a thickness and a composition of the metal reflection film are substantially
the same as the metal reflection film and the antenna.
B11. A method for fabricating an optical disc comprising forming a first substrate
having a disc shape, which has an embedding hole, and embedding a wiring substrate
having the IC attached thereto into the embedding hole.
B12. A method for fabricating an optical disc according to item B11, further comprising
forming a second substrate having a disc shape, which opposes the first substrate,
and bonding the first substrate and the second substrate via an adhesive layer.
INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY
[0152] As described above, it becomes possible to manage IDs of discs by attaching a radio
wave transmission/reception IC, including ID information, to the discs.
[0153] As described above, it becomes easy to fabricate an optical disc having a radio wave
transmission/reception IC, including ID information, attached thereto.